Scottish Executive

BSE

Dr Richard Simpson (Ochil) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to implement the new European Union requirements to test fallen stock for signs of BSE.

Ross Finnie: Legislation has been made to introduce a statutory obligation on cattle keepers to inform Scottish ministers when an animal aged 30 months or more dies on-farm. A freephone helpline service has been set up for this purpose. Collection, sample testing and disposal will be met from central funds. The operational date for these new procedures is 1 July 2001.

Epilepsy

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to hold a public awareness campaign to help reduce any stigma and discrimination associated with epilepsy.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have no plans to hold such a campaign. The Scottish Executive is, however, providing grant support to the voluntary organisation, Epilepsy Action Scotland, for its work in raising awareness of epilepsy issues in Scotland and its support of those affected by the condition. The Executive applauds this work and believes that any stigma associated with epilepsy is rooted in the ignorance and superstition of the past and has no place in modern Scotland.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the overall Scottish budget has been as a percentage share of equivalent UK budgets in each year for which figures are available and broken down into available categories.

Angus MacKay: The table shows that, for the years for which comparable data are available, the Scottish budget remains stable as a proportion of the overall UK budget.

  

 

Scotland
(£ billion) 
  

UK
(£ billion) 
  

Scotland as a % of UK 
  



1999-2000 
  



DEL 
  

 


 


 




Resource 
  

12.0 
  

159.9 
  

7.5 
  



Capital 
  

1.7 
  

19.4 
  

8.8 
  



Total 
  

13.7 
  

179.3 
  

7.6 
  



TME 
  

17.0 
  

343.5 
  

4.9 
  



2000-01 
  



Resource 
  

12.7 
  

172.3 
  

7.4 
  



Capital 
  

2.3 
  

21.9 
  

10.5 
  



Total 
  

15.0 
  

194.2 
  

7.7 
  



TME 
  

18.0 
  

368.3 
  

4.9 
  



2001-02 
  



Resource 
  

13.7 
  

187.0 
  

7.3 
  



Capital 
  

2.7 
  

25.3 
  

10.7 
  



Total 
  

16.4 
  

212.3 
  

7.7 
  



TME 
  

19.8 
  

393.7 
  

5.0 
  



2002-03 
  



Resource 
  

14.5 
  

199.1 
  

7.3 
  



Capital 
  

3.0 
  

29.4 
  

10.2 
  



Total 
  

17.5 
  

228.5 
  

7.7 
  



TME 
  

21.0 
  

417.8 
  

5.0 
  



2003-04 
  



Resource 
  

15.3 
  

210.7 
  

7.3 
  



Capital 
  

3.3 
  

34.4 
  

9.6 
  



Total 
  

18.6 
  

245.1 
  

7.6 
  



TME 
  

22.1 
  

442.6 
  

5.0 
  



  Notes:

  Total Managed Expenditure (TME).

  Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL).

  The UK Government has not published figures for comparable spending by UK Department, therefore the best figures available have been used.

  The TME Scottish figures are taken from The Scottish Budget, Table 0.1. The UK TME figures and the DEL figures (Scottish and UK) are from Budget 2001 - Investing for the Long Term: Building Opportunities and Prosperity for All (HMT March 2001), Tables C11 and C13, respectively.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place or are proposed to ensure compliance with the guidelines issued by the Committee on Safety of Medicines in 1988 on the time period for prescribing benzodiazepines such as Valium, Temazepan and Mogadon so that people do not become addicted to such drugs.

Susan Deacon: There are a number of measures in place to ensure that, where clinically possible, GPs comply with the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) guidelines. Benzodiazepine prescribing by GPs is an area that is regularly reviewed by Health Board/Primary Care Trust Prescribing Advisers who receive monthly reports of prescribing data by GP practice. These reports can be used to monitor benzodiazepine prescribing. In addition, GP computer systems incorporate a reminder to alert GPs when a clinical review is recommended or required.

  Health professionals are reminded of the CSM guidelines in a boxed warning in the British National Formulary, issued free to doctors and pharmacists. Product information for benzodiazepines produced by the manufacturers, and authorised by the licensing authority, include warnings about duration of treatment.

  These measures are proving effective. There has been a steady reduction in the prescribing of benzodiazepines by GPs in Scotland from 2.3 million prescription items in 1991 to 1.7 million in 1999.

  Ultimately, the decision whether or not to prescribe benzodiazepines depends on the clinical judgment of the medical practitioner concerned, taking into account advice and evidence about their use. In some cases it may be clinically necessary for the GP to exceed the CSM prescribing guidelines, for example, in managing patients where benzodiazepine use is part of a wider drug misuse problem.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area who had operations on an in-patient basis were subsequently readmitted due to complications resulting from surgery in each of the last three years.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make funding available to Lothian Health Board and Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust for the provision of continuous positive airway pressure treatment to relieve sleep apnoea.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people suffering from sleep apnoea in the Borders and East Lothian are on a waiting list for a continuous positive airway pressure machine.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the Borders and East Lothian currently suffer from sleep apnoea.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people suffering from sleep apnoea in the Borders and East Lothian are currently receiving treatment by way of a continuous positive airway pressure machine.

Susan Deacon: The allocation of funding to Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust for the provision of sleep disorder services is a matter for the health boards that commission such services from the Trust. I understand, however, that Lothian Health Board and Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust are conducting a review of the sleep apnoea service provided by the Sleep Centre.

  Information relating to the numbers of people suffering from sleep apnoea, or on waiting lists for treatment of the condition, is not available centrally.

Justice

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the use of Restriction of Liberty Orders following the completion of the pilot scheme.

Mr Jim Wallace: Following the success of the pilot schemes, I am pleased to announce that Restriction of Liberty Orders (RLOs) will be rolled out to other courts. Arrangements will now be made to tender for contracts to supply the electronic monitoring services.

  It is proposed also to make provision for the use of:

  Restriction of Liberty Orders as a direct alternative to custody;

  RLO as a condition of a Probation Order and of a Drug Treatment and Testing Order;

  electronic monitoring as a condition of release on licence (as recommended in the MacLean report).

Meningitis

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether humans can be infected by "pig meningitis" and, if so, how many have been infected in Scotland in the past five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Meningitis in pigs can occasionally infect people and, since 1991, the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) has received reports of four such cases.

Nature of Scotland

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses to its consultation on The Nature of Scotland: A Policy Statement were received by 29 May 2001 and how many of these were broadly in favour of the proposals outlined in the statement.

Rhona Brankin: A total of 159 responses to the consultation on The Nature of Scotland: A Policy Statement were received by 29 May 2001. 114 of these responses, or just under 72%, expressed broad support for the proposals outlined in the statement.

Nuclear Submarines

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted by the Ministry of Defence on the environmental or other implications of the Interim Storage of Laid-up Submarines Project and whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre any documents and communications in respect of such consultation.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on a wide range of issues including the Interim Storage of Laid-Up Submarines Study.

  I understand that at this stage no sites have been selected as the MOD have not concluded how the submarines would be stored on land.

  The information requested meets the requirements of commercial exemption in Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.

Nuclear Submarines

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what position it took on the choice of Mellon Charles near Aultbea in Wester Ross as the location for a repository of nuclear waste material from decommissioned nuclear submarines in any consultation with the Ministry of Defence on the environmental and other implications of the proposed location.

Rhona Brankin: I understand that no sites have been selected.

Oil Industry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet representatives of BP to discuss ways in which the work connected with the development of the Clair field for which contracts will shortly be issued can contribute to the Scottish economy, in particular with regard to employment opportunities.

Ms Wendy Alexander: We are in regular contact with BP about a range of issues including those concerning the development of the Clair field and the role of Scottish industry in this work.

Pensions

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to ensure that Amey will act in accordance with the Statement of Practice on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector, particularly in relation to the protection of occupational pensions of staff who are transferring employers, following the recent tendering process for the maintenance and management of trunk roads.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer given on 22 March to question S1O-3171 and the supplementary questions.

Public Appointments

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it proposes to increase the number of Independent Assessors to oversee the public appointments system.

Angus MacKay: Independent Assessors play a vital part in ensuring that the principles of the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code are adhered to and that public appointments are made on a fair, open and transparent basis.

  As I made clear in my statement to Parliament last week, ministers have agreed that, in future, responsibility for appointing Assessors will transfer to the Scottish Commissioner for Public Appointments once it has been established.

  However, in order to ensure that we have sufficient numbers of Assessors in place until such time as a Commissioner is set up, the Executive is today embarking on a recruitment campaign inviting members of the public to consider applying for these posts. This recruitment campaign has received the full backing of the UK Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Road Accidents

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents have occurred at the Ballinluig junction on the A9 in each of the last five years.

Sarah Boyack: Only records of accidents involving personal injury are held by the Scottish Executive. Details of the accidents which have occurred at the Ballinluig junction on the A9 trunk road for each of the last five years (1996-2000) are as follows:

  A9 Ballinluig Junction: Injury Accidents (1996-2000)

  


Year 
  

Fatal 
  

Serious 
  

Slight 
  

Total 
  



1996 
  

0 
  

2 
  

3 
  

5 
  



1997 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

2 
  



1998 
  

1 
  

3 
  

0 
  

4 
  



1999 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  

3 
  



2000 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Total 
  

1 
  

7 
  

6 
  

14

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of each improvement scheme undertaken on the A9 between Dunkeld and Pitlochry during 1999-2000 and 2000-01 and what the cost will be of any improvement schemes planned for 2001-02.

Sarah Boyack: No improvement schemes were implemented on the A9 between Dunkeld and Pitlochry for financial years 1999-2000 and 2000-01. Expenditure for the current financial year 2001-02 is currently expected to be £40,000.

Water Authorities

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much compensation has been paid out by each water authority since 1997.

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many claims for compensation each water authority has received since 1997.

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many claims for compensation have been upheld by each water authority since 1997 and what the reason for the decision was in each case.

Ross Finnie: The following tables set out, by authority, the compensation payments made by the three water authorities, as far as the information is available. The water authorities pay compensation when levels of service fall below expected standards. Customer service standards were revised and standardised, with increased payments, across the three authorities in October 2000.

  Payments are also made in respect of a) public liability claims for injury, property damage, utility damage and b) ex gratia payments for which an authority has no legal liability. In the public liability claims tables, the figure for the total number of claims made includes claims which are outstanding and have not been resolved.

  East of Scotland Water

  Customer Standards

  


Standard 
  

2000-01 
  

1999-2000 
  

1998-99 
  

1997-98 
  



No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  



Late Response to Complaint 
  

7 
  

140 
  

12 
  

140 
  

53 
  

400 
  

11 
  

150 
  



Supply Interruptions 
  

99 
  

7,280 
  

9 
  

300 
  

1 
  

70 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Internal Sewer Flood 
  

44 
  

14,659 
  

51 
  

7,709 
  

69 
  

13,043 
  

62 
  

9,138 
  



Missed Appointments 
  

10 
  

500 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Late Response to Billing Enquiries 
  

492 
  

9,730 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Meter Survey Failures 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Meter Installation Failures 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Failure to make automatic payment for Guaranteed Service 
  Standard failure 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Totals 
  

652 
  

32,309 
  

72 
  

8,149 
  

123 
  

13,513 
  

73 
  

9,288 
  



  Public liability (PL) and ex gratia payments

  


 


2000-01 
  

1999-2000 
  

1998-99 
  

1997-98 
  



No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  



Total PL Claims 
  

293 
  

 


373 
  

 


316 
  

 


182 
  

 




Total PL Claims Paid 
  

282 
  

708,493 
  

313 
  

426,679 
  

277 
  

554,991 
  

126 
  

367,746 
  



Injury 
  

42 
  

71,305 
  

77 
  

83,683 
  

81 
  

168,140 
  

44 
  

130,591 
  



Property damage 
  

86 
  

558,158 
  

74 
  

199,457 
  

32 
  

227,695 
  

6 
  

148,205 
  



Utility damage 
  

154 
  

79,030 
  

162 
  

144,539 
  

164 
  

159,156 
  

76 
  

88,950 
  



Ex gratia payments 
  

295 
  

53,241 
  

204 
  

33,677 
  

10 
  

2,767 
  

2 
  

512 
  



  North of Scotland Water

  Customer standards

  


Standard 
  

2000-01 
  

1999-2000 
  

1998-99 
  

1997-98* 
  



No. 
  

Value 
  

No. 
  

Value 
  

No. 
  

Value 
  

No. 
  

Value 
  



Late Response to Complaint 
  

7 
  

140 
  

- 
  

- 
  

9 
  

90 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Internal Sewer Flood 
  

93 
  

24,451 
  

17 
  

1,953 
  

31 
  

4,158 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Supply Interruptions 
  

209 
  

5,020 
  

93 
  

2,240 
  

23 
  

280 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Late Response to Billing Enquiries 
  

7 
  

140 
  

3 
  

60 
  

1 
  

10 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Missed Appointments 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Meter Survey Failures 
  

5 
  

100 
  

1 
  

20 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Meter Installation Failures 
  

9 
  

180 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Failure to make automatic payment for Guaranteed Service 
  Standard failure 
  

1 
  

20 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Totals 
  

331 
  

30,051 
  

114 
  

4,273 
  

64 
  

4,538 
  

- 
  

- 
  



  *Figures for 1997-98 are not available.

  Public liability (PL) and ex gratia payments

  


 


2000-01 
  

1999-2000 
  

1998-99 
  

1997-98 
  



No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  



Total PL Claims 
  

498 
  

 


381 
  

 


444 
  

 


369 
  

 




Total PL Claims Paid 
  

171 
  

78,642 
  

216 
  

116,877 
  

240 
  

199,368 
  

194 
  

137,878 
  



Injury 
  

4 
  

7,144 
  

4 
  

5,120 
  

6 
  

12,718 
  

12 
  

32,196 
  



Property damage 
  

144 
  

61,238 
  

181 
  

98,706 
  

197 
  

138,731 
  

148 
  

84,229 
  



Utility damage 
  

23 
  

10,260 
  

31 
  

13,051 
  

37 
  

47,919 
  

34 
  

21,453 
  



Ex gratia payments 
  

49 
  

6,166 
  

46 
  

3,257 
  

 


 


 


 




  West of Scotland Water

  


Standard 
  

2000-01 
  

1999-2000 
  

1998-99 
  

1997-98 
  



No. 
  

Value 
  

No. 
  

Value 
  

No. 
  

Value 
  

No. 
  

Value 
  



Late Response to Complaint 
  

52 
  

1,110 
  

6 
  

60 
  

2 
  

20 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Internal Sewer Flood 
  

* 
  

30,823 
  

242 
  

35,968 
  

26 
  

1,762 
  

3 
  

175 
  



Supply Interruptions 
  

12 
  

370 
  

14 
  

140 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Late Response to Billing Enquiries 
  

356 
  

7,120 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Missed Appointments 
  

9 
  

160 
  

10 
  

100 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Meter Survey Failures 
  

1 
  

20 
  

-- 
  

-- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Meter Installation Failures 
  

1 
  

20 
  

3 
  

30 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Failure to make automatic payment for Guaranteed Service 
  Standard failure 
  

- 
  

- 
  

5 
  

50 
  

- 
  

- 
  

2 
  

20 
  



Totals 
  

* 
  

39,813 
  

282 
  

36,386 
  

28 
  

1,783 
  

5 
  

194 
  



  * Full data not yet available.

  Public liability (PL) and ex gratia payments

  


 


2000-01 
  

1999-2000 
  

1998-99 
  

1997-98 
  



No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  

No. 
  

Value
(£) 
  



Total PL Claims 
  

794 
  

 


1,364 
  

 


1,398 
  

 


1,586 
  

 




Total PL Claims Paid 
  

226 
  

204,707 
  

642 
  

1,241,101 
  

690 
  

675,316 
  

743 
  

801,260 
  



Injury 
  

17 
  

8,652 
  

41 
  

42,578 
  

74 
  

72,016 
  

 102 
  

153,984 
  



Property damage 
  

99 
  

136,800 
  

414 
  

914,261 
  

494 
  

461,206 
  

467 
  

515,710 
  



Utility damage 
  

110 
  

59,255 
  

187 
  

284,262 
  

122 
  

142,094 
  

174 
  

131,566 
  



Ex gratia payments†


* 
  

39,811 
  

* 
  

58,810 
  

256 
  

19,065 
  

167 
  

11,751 
  



  * Full data not yet available.

  †The above figures exclude ex gratia payments made under the Burncrooks Incident. In 1998, 27,719 ex gratia payments were made to customers affected by the Burncrooks Incident amounting to a total of £1,385,950.